Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Banana bread has kind of been floating in and out of my head. I have a memory of baking it with my mom once. While getting my post-workout Saturday latte at the nearby coffee shop, Portland Brew, I always notice their banana bread in these cute little molds. I rarely buy the snacks at coffee shops because I enjoy making stuff like that on my own. The other day my friend Liesl gave me a banana that was pretty ripe, and I already had two that were getting there, and a ripe one in the freezer. At first I was just going to slice it and freeze it for smoothies, but then I realized I’ve never posted a recipe for banana bread. I have a stoneware mini bundt pan I had only used once, so I thought it seemed like a great non-traditional way to bake banana bread, just like the ones at the coffee shop! It’s makes it perfect for giving away, because I ended up with 5 of them. I brought 3 into work, The Boy & I ate one, and gave the other away. I also loved that slicing it gave these small portions, which are great if someone only wants just a bite.

I know there are SO MANY banana bread recipes out there, and I checked to see if I had any bookmarked. I found this one, on my friend Melissa’s blog. I used that recipe as a starting off point, and varied it up just a bit. I used some white whole wheat flour to make it a little healthier. Then I added chocolate chips, to make it unhealthier! Haha.. And I realized I didn’t have enough bananas, so to make up for that I subbed nonfat greek yogurt. I must admit I was a little worried it wouldn’t turn out. But I was proven wrong when this banana bread turned out very moist & delicious! The chocolate chips melted and really paired nicely with the banana flavor. There’s just something so nice about a freshly baked homemade quick bread.

Chocolate Chips Banana Bread

adapted from Mrs Sac's Purple Kitchen, original recipe from AllRecipes

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour (you can just use all-purpose flour if you don't have any wheat flour)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 1/3 cups mashed overripe bananas (I ended up using about 1 2/3 cups mashed banana and 2/3 plain nonfat greek yogurt, because I ran out of banana)
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan (or mini bundt pans like mine).

In a large bowl, combine flours, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten, and add in chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

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Goat Cheese Stuffed Figs

A very fortunate coincidence occurred recently. This post popped up in my Google Reader. I was so surprised, and actually demanded to know if Lindsay had broken into my house and peeked in my refrigerator. You see, never in my life have I ever seen fresh figs in the grocery store. If they were there, I didn’t notice them. The past year or so I’ve been intrigued by them after enjoying fresh figs, or fig jam on dishes while dining out. On a recent grocery trip to Harris Teeter I saw them, and on a whim, bought two, not knowing what I was going to do with them. Also, the past month or so I keep meaning to purchase some of the locally produced fresh goat cheese I’ve seen at the farmer’s markets I visit. But, due to me being ME, I either don’t have enough cash, don’t have ANY cash, or have the cash, but forgot my wallet. This past weekend, I made an extra effort to pick some up.

This goat cheese is produced on a farm in Franklin, TN. According to this article in the Tennessean the cheesemaking seems to be a fairly new venture for the company, Noble Springs Farm. As you know if you read my blog even sporadically, I’m a member of a CSA. I love supporting local producers, and small businesses. I believe that when you do that, you are helping not just that business but the community as well. That was part of the reason I chose to purchase the goat cheese. But I’ll be honest, the other reason is because it’s so delicious! Even when I knew I didn’t have cash to purchase some, I *might* have wandered over for a sample, a time or two (or three). They produce a couple varieties including this peppercorn, and a cherry berry, just to name a few. I had just so happened to purchase the peppered goat cheese. So THAT was why I thought Lindsay’s post was truly serendipitous! Nashvillians, if you are interested in the goat cheese I know for sure they sell it at the East Nashville Farmer’s Market (Wednesdays), as well as the new West Nashville Farmer’s Market (Saturdays on 46th & Charlotte).

Perfect. That’s really the best way to describe this. The only way I think I could have made it better, would be if I was able to use locally produced honey. If you’ve never had fresh figs (and I hadn’t until recently), they are similar to a plum or peach in exterior texture, and they are soft with almost pulp-like sacs similar to an orange. When paired with the goat cheese and honey, you get some sweetness from the fruit, with a touch of the richness of the goat cheese, a different kind of sweetness from the honey, and of course the honey & pepper. I don’t think there’s anything I’ve prepared that felt so simple and yet fancy at the same time. I wasn’t surprised to discover the recipe came from Bon Appetit. The recipe really defines the kinds of food I like to eat; simple with a touch of elegance, in season, and course, utilizing local ingredients. I can’t wait for an event I could serve these at as appetizers!

PS. I would like to add, just to be clear, no one paid me to go on & on about how great this goat cheese is, and I didn’t get it for free. I just like to write about food discoveries I love.

Fresh Figs with Goat Cheese, Cracked Pepper, and Honey

adapted from Epicurious (Bon Appetit Aug 06), as seen on Love & Olive Oil
serves 2

Ingredients:

2 figs
2 teaspoons goat cheese
drizzle of honey
freshly cracked pepper

Directions:

Starting at stem end, cut each fig into quarters, stopping 1/2 inch from bottom to leave base intact. Gently press figs open. Spoon 1 teaspoon cheese into center of each. Arrange figs on platter; drizzle with honey, then using pepper grinder, crack pepper over fig.

This time last year I posted this Layered Pumpkin Loaf, which was moist & delicious!

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Tropical Granola

I had been itching to make something, but not a dessert, and I saw Annie posted this recipe for Tropical Granola. The Boy & I LOVE homemade granola. Whenever I make this kind, we DEVOUR it. Annie’s recipe is so completely different from the recipe I use, I thought it might be fun to change things up.

One thing I found curious about this recipe, is that it doesn’t use any oil! That’s good if you are looking for a lower fat recipe. Instead of oil it uses pureed pineapple, mashed banana, and apple sauce. Plus, the tropical flavors were a complete departure from my regular add ins. I had some of these ingredients on hand, like the oats, banana, and coconut; but I ended up having to buy most it, so it ended up being not-so-cheap. But, it definitely was fresher, and better tasting than anything you’d buy at the store, I think it was well worth it. My only addition to the recipe was to add in dried papaya, because it had such a pretty color, and I know I like the taste as well!

Now, I’m sure someone is bound to wonder “Which recipe is better?” I honestly hate questions like that. While I think I would prefer my other granola, because of the rich surprising taste of the olive oil alongside the sweet cherries & kosher salt flavors, that doesn’t mean I didn’t find this granola to be SUPER DELICIOUS! Honestly it’s like comparing apples to oranges. I really did loved the tropical flavors in Annie’s version. It made me dream of being on a beach. In fact, I sprinkled the granola on top of pina colada yogurt, and it was almost like I heard “A-lo-ho-a” singing in my head. This granola disappeared in a mere matter of days, less than a week! So it’s safe to say it was a hit. So whatcha waitin’ for? Get out there and try this Tropical Granola, or maybe try this version. Whatever floats your boat!

Tropical Granola

slighty adapted from Annie's Eats

Ingredients:

3½ cups rolled oats
2½ cups puffed rice cereal (I used this, and highly recommend)
1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup fresh pineapple puree
1/3 cup mashed banana
1/3 cup applesauce
½ tsp. salt
Dash of cinnamon
1 tsp. coconut extract
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut, lightly toasted
1/2 cup dried pineapple, chopped
1/2 cup dried papaya, chopped
1 cup dried banana chips, chopped
½ cup toasted macadamia nuts, chopped

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325° F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats and puffed rice cereal. Stir to combine. In a medium bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, pineapple puree, mashed banana, applesauce, salt, cinnamon and coconut extract. Whisk until very smooth. Add the wet ingredients to the oat mixture and stir gently with a spatula until the oat mixture is evenly coated. Spread on the prepared baking sheet in an even layer.

Bake for 30 minutes. Using a large, wide spatula, turn sections of the granola over on the baking sheet. Bake for an additional 15 minutes, until nearly completely dried. If your granola layer is thick, you may need to bake it a bit longer, removing the edges that have cooked completely but making sure the center is done. Cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, then crumble into a large airtight storage container. Add toasted coconut, dried pineapple, dried papaya, banana chips, and macadamia nuts to the container. Seal and shake well until everything is evenly combined.

This time last year I was enjoying one of my favorite ways to eat okra, in this Okra & Shrimp dish.

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New York 2009

New York. Ahhhh… the city I love. I just can’t get enough of this place. I went in college with my family (2002 or 2003): again in fall of 2007 with friends, and most recently in late August of this year. This trip was different because I was traveling there alone. I had about 24 hours in the city before I met up with The Boy and our two other guy friends. This might be scary to some people, but honestly, I LOVED traveling alone. I mentioned on twitter, and not one but TWO of my food blog friends offered to meet up with me! It was cool to put faces to these sweet ladies blogs. I’d like to share with you a few of the places I went. These are all places I will 100% recommend if you’re ever in NYC.

Think Coffee
1 Bleecker St.
(Northwest corner of Bowery and Bleecker)

Unfortunately I didn’t get any pictures of this place, because as I pulled out my camera to take some shots, I realized I didn’t have the battery! My latte here was exceptional (perhaps because it was my first caffeine of the day because I thought I might *actually* sleep on the plane, HA), as was my tomato zucchini soup. Oh, and I sat literally a foot and a half away from this guy. Once I realized I had forgotten my battery, I went back to the hotel, then I was off to the West Village.

Sweet Revenge
62 Carmine Street
(West Village)

Sweet Revenge was recommended to me by a super nice, and talented blogger, Kristina of the Chocolate & Peanut Butter Gallery. I have to say, out of all the places I went, this *might* be my favorite. (I actually am so indecisive I hate the word favorite) Sweet Revenge is a cupcake shop right after my own heart. What sets it apart from other cupcake shops is, it’s not just about cupcakes. It’s a cafe, where you can get a sandwich, and they have a very nice selection of beers & wine. It’s here I met up with Cathy of Cathy’s Kitchen Journey’s.

She was super duper sweet, and didn’t mind that I rambled on & on and talked her head off. We decided to take advantage of the Happy Hour specials. I got a glass of wine and a cupcake for $10, and she got a glass of sangria and a cupcake.

Cathy chose the Sweet Revenge cupcake, which is the shop’s namesake. It was a peanut butter cupcake with ganache filling, and peanut butter buttercream. I chose the Bird of Paradise which was a lime chiffon cake with mango buttercream, and lime zest. We cut them in half and shared! They were both super moist. Mine had the perfect citrus taste, and the mango buttercream was unlike anything I’ve ever had! I also was surprised that the peanut butter buttercream on hers used crunchy peanut butter. It was equally tasty! Yum! I’d love to go back next time I’m in New York!

Otto
1 5th Ave
(Greenwich Village)

After the cupcake at Sweet Revenge, I did a lot of walking and exploring. Then, I met up with Maris of In Good Taste. We walked around and decided where to eat (really I made her pick the place, because I didn’t have a CLUE about what was good in the area). We ended up at Otto where we stalked and scored a spot at the bar. Otto, I later found out, is a Mario Batali restaurant. It’s part wine bar, part restaurant. Our bartender/waiter kept making us pronounce what we wanted to order, and let’s just say a KY accent doesn’t do Italian so well. I ordered red wine (I honestly can’t for the life of me remember what I ordered and their wine list is HUGE) and the Fennel & Bottarga pizza that had tomato, raw fennel, bottarga, pecorino, and mozzarella. Double and triple yum. Maris and I are just months away from each other in age, and found we had a lot in common. We chatted for a couple hours. Unfortunately I didn’t get ANY photos of the restaurant, or any pictures of us. But, I’m not sure I would of LIKED a picture of us, because at that point I’d only had 1.5 hours of sleep in 32 hours, and it had rained on us a little as we were walking around. I did manage to take a iPhone photo though. The great thing was, I was only a couple blocks from the hotel. It was around 11pm and I made it back to the hotel just fine, the area felt really safe, and I literally CRASHED fast asleep.

Lovely iPhone photo isn’t it?

Murray’s Bagels
500 Ave of the Americas

I didn’t want to set an alarm because I wanted to let my body sleep. I don’t know if it was the loud neighbors that were just coming in for the night, or the fact that I had probably just finished a sleep cycle, but I woke up at 3am (most sleep cycles are around 4 hours, and now that I work this crazy work schedule, I often sleep in 4 hour shifts). Luckily I managed to go back to sleep, and woke up again at 7am. I decided rather than trying to sleep more, I should go out and explore the city that never sleeps! Last time I was in NYC, I specifically remembered I wanted to eat a “real” New York bagel. Supposedly there are two major kinds, an H&H bagel, and a bagel from Murray’s. Last time I know I ate an H&H bagel, so this time I decided to try one from Murray’s. Luckily it was nearby in the West Village/Greenwich Village area. I chose a whole wheat bagel and another fabulous latte. A real NY bagel isn’t toasted. Just the process of cooking it in the water boil makes the edges tough & have a “bite”, but just as promised the inside was softy & chewy. Mine was sandwiched with cream cheese. I enjoyed my breakfast and got to daydream a little what it would be like to live nearby, and be a real New Yorker, and this would be my Saturday routine. One day, maybe one day… Don’t ask me to compare H&H and Murray’s because, honestly it was nearly 2 years ago I had an H&H bagel, so I can’t remember that far back! But I will say I would recommend Murray’s any day.

I decided to take the subway up to Central Park and just walk around and do some exploring while I had a little more time alone. Though it was grey, and it sprinkled a bit here and there, it was still to me, a beautiful New York day. I walked for a couple more hours, just exploring different neighborhoods. I could literally eat this city up. After taking my time I made it back to the hotel to shower because the boys were going to be arriving in the city soon!

Baoguette Cafe
37 St. Mark’s Place (between 2nd Ave & 1st Ave)
(East Village)

After I showered I still had some time to grab a bite to eat for lunch. I did a quick web search, and discovered via Yelp, there was a great affordable spot on the very same block as my hotel. Baoguette Cafe had sandwiches, soup bowls, and salads, but most important COFFEE. I got a Vietnamese iced coffee. I think the secret is, they use sweetened condensed milk. Whatever it is, it was magically delicious. This just set me up for a wonderful lunch. I ordered the BBQ Chicken Vermicelli Noodle Bowl, with lettuce, herbs, & peanuts. Yet another NYC meal that didn’t disappoint, and wasn’t bad on the budget at all!

Caracas
93 1/2 E 7th St
(East Village)

I met up with the boys, we did some shopping and exploring and decided to eat dinner at a place I discovered while searching the web. Caracas is an arepa bar within walking distance of our hotel, and gave us the chance to explore our area a little more. An arepa is a lot like a pita, but it’s made from cornmeal. We walked up, and there was quite a crowd outside. I thought, it was worth a shot to at least see what the wait was. For some reason, he seated us right away! It was a tiny restaurant, and packed to the brim. We ordered some guacamole; some Yoyos – fried sweet plantain balls stuffed with white cheese; and Tajadas – fried sweet plantains with aged cheese; and then we all ordered some arepas. I really enjoyed the appetizers, and I enjoyed the arepa, I just wasn’t a fan of the filling I chose to go inside my arepa. I got the Reina Pepiada – chunky chicken and avocado mix salad; but it felt too much like just straight up guacamole, which I’d ate a LOT of as an appetizer. I’d love the opportunity to go back, and get a different one. I still definitely recommend this restaurant.

Levain Bakery
167 W 74th St (between Amsterdam Ave & Columbus Ave)
(Upper West Side)

Sunday I made a point to make it up to the Upper West Side. I needed to bring a treat back to my friends. As much as I’d love to bring them a cupcake, I wasn’t going back into work until Tuesday, and I didn’t think a cupcake would taste good if I waited that long, so decided on the famed Levain Bakery. I’ll admit, I was like “What’s the big dang deal with this cookie? It’s huge, blah blah blah.”

Ok. Everything said about this cookie is true. It totally lives up to the hype. Holy cow this cookie was awesome! I got two chocolate walnut (the famous version), a dark chocolate with peanut butter chips, and an oatmeal raisin. The Boy & I spent TWO days eating the peanut dark chocolate with peanut butter chips, and I gave the other three away. Not to mention these cookies were FRESHER than fresh. WOW. I noticed they were pulling trays out of the oven as soon as I walked in. My cookies were STILL WARM when I got them!

I swear if I look at this photo and then close my eyes, I can ALMOST smell the cookies again!

Stand
24 East 12th Street
(Greenwich Village)

And finally, our last bite to eat in New York City, was a place I’ve been DREAMING of going to ever since the Amateur Gourmet posted about the Toasted Marshmallow Milkshake. This was located in Greenwich Village, and wasn’t far from our hotel either, and it was especially close to the Union Square shopping area. I think the guys weren’t so sure about another place I was dragging them to. They were expecting something weird. But once they got there and realized it was a BURGER AND FRIES joint they were actually kind of excited. I was excited when I discovered the sweet potatoes fries! Yum Yum Yum.

This place definitely lived up to the hype! I wanted to save room for the famed milkshake, so I ate half my burger and fries and got a box for the rest. I asked our waitress what she thought of the Toasted Marshmallow Milkshake, and she said that she didn’t like marshmallows (WTF?!?!) but everyone that orders it loves it. So I ordered it, requesting it in a to-go cup, because surely I couldn’t drink it all while sitting there. But I did. I drank it ALL while sitting there. And… I loved it. It was a-mazing. The waitress told me it was made with Toasted Marshmallow Gelato, but just today I discovered this Gourmet article that says otherwise. So perhaps there could be a homemade version in my future!

Alright… *WHEW* I can’t believe it’s taken me nearly a MONTH to write up this post about the city I love. As you can tell I definitely ate my way through it! One of the things I LOVE about New York City is, all the walking and exploring I can do on foot. I really let myself relax a little on worrying about calories. With all the walking I was doing, there’s not doubt I burned it all off! Perhaps my lattes were so delicious in while in New York because I didn’t order them with skim milk. If you’ve never been to New York, I highly suggest you go at least once in your life. And please, please, do me a favor, DON’T EAT AT OLIVE GARDEN IN TIMES SQUARE! Haha.. That’s always a running joke with me. I always ask why would you want to eat somewhere you can eat at home, when you are in the city with the greatest restaurants? You don’t have to spend a lot of money all the time to eat well. As you can tell we ate at some great places, that didn’t break the bank. If you’re lucky enough to have an iPhone, there’s a Yelp app that will help you find places to eat, (and a NYC Subway Map app, and Google Maps to help you get there, ;D). Or, just open your eyes and look around. *sigh* I’m already dreaming of my next trip there. Kalena Kay, you in?

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Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

The weekend is when I do my baking, and as this past weekend rolled around it was no different. I got the itch. The baking itch. I began to browse recipes when I came across this recipe on Martha Stewart’s website. I recognized it was from the cookbook Baked, which I previously checked out from the library a while back, drooled over, and then photocopied some of the recipes. This was one of the ones I photocopied! (Oh, wait, is that illegal?) After thinking more about this recipe, I was pretty sure one of the blogs I read had made them too. Sure enough, I found it on Peabody’s blog (just try going there and not drooling, I DARE YA!). I’m VERY glad I remembered Peabody’s because she adapted the frosting recipe, and then I adapted it a bit more.

Now, yall know I love pumpkin ANYTHING (including shampoo and handsoap!). And these whoopie pies rank right up there with the best of the pumpkin treats. As my first venture into whoopie pies I’m now hooked. I love these little handheld treats. They are like a cross between cupcakes and cookies. They are less crumbly than cupcakes, and totally handheld without wrappers. They have FROSTING sandwiched between! Mmm mmm… The pumpkin flavor isn’t overwhelming. The Boy isn’t a pumpkin fan, but managed to eat 4 the first day. His comment was that they tasted more like gingerbread. I brought them into both his work, and my work, and they were rather well received!

I decided to try to make these a *touch* healthier, and I subbed 1 cup of all purpose flour for white whole wheat flour. I honestly don’t think you could tell at all. In fact, I’d be curious to see how they taste if you up the ante even more. Also, Peabody adapted the original cream cheese frosting, into a maple cream cheese frosting. I recommend that option 1000%. The maple flavor cuts the sweetness of the frosting, and is the perfect accompaniment to the pumpkin. My adaption to that was to add freshly ground cinnamon. I tasted it before and after I added the cinnamon, and I definitely prefer it with! This frosting was truly amazing. I’d love to pair it with another cake flavor in the future!

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Maple Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

from Baked, as seen on Martha Stewart
Frosting slightly adapted from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody, originally adapted from Baked

Ingredients:

WHOOPIE PIES:
3 cups all-purpose flour (I used 1 cup white whole wheat, and 2 cups all-purpose)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon ground cloves
2 cups firmly packed dark-brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 cups pumpkin puree, chilled
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

FROSTING:
3 cups powdered sugar
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3 Tablespoon maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp freshly ground cinnamon

Directions:

WHOOPIE PIES:
Make the cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves; set aside. In another large bowl, whisk together brown sugar and oil until well combined. Add pumpkin puree and whisk until combined. Add eggs and vanilla and whisk until well combined. Sprinkle flour mixture over pumpkin mixture and whisk until fully incorporated.

Using a small ice cream scoop with a release mechanism, drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Transfer to oven and bake until cookies are just starting to crack on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of each cookie comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Let cool completely on pan.

FROSTING:
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter until smooth with no visible lumps. Add the cream cheese an beat until combined.

Add the powdered sugar, maple syrup and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add cinnamon. Be careful no to overbeat the filling, or it will lose structure.

To assemble:
Turn half the cooled cookies upside down. Pipe filling (about a TBSP) onto that half. Place another cookie, flat side down, on top of the filling. Press down slightly so that the filling spread to the edges of the cookie. Repeat until all the cookies are used. Put the whoppie pies in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to firm before serving.

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